Emigrating from Ireland to New York City in 1856, Daly soon moved westward, finding work in mines in California and Utah and eventually becoming foreman for the syndicate working the famed Comstock Lode in Nevada. A self-educated mining engineer, he invested in smaller mining interests and enlisted the aid of such backers as George Hearst (father of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst) in order to purchase the Anaconda mine near Butte, Mont., for $30,000 in 1880. Though at first the mine was thought to contain only silver, a rich vein of copper was soon discovered and proved to be the largest bed of the metal discovered up to that time. Daly built a large smelting plant and within a few years had become a millionaire. By 1895 the Anaconda Company was the world’s largest producer of copper.

Daly was active in Montana politics, engaging in a long battle with Senator William Clark, another mining entrepreneur, for control of the state. The town of Anaconda was built largely through Daly’s efforts, and he had many investments throughout the region, including a large horse-breeding ranch. At the time of his death he controlled property in Montana worth $75 million.

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...subsequently became known as the “Richest Hill on Earth,” and the world’s largest smelter was built at nearby Anaconda. The so-called “War of the Copper Kings” was won by Marcus Daly, whose Anaconda Company became one of the largest mining conglomerates in the world. The company smashed the mining unions, influenced the state legislature, acquired almost all of...